Perseverance of the saints and apostasy

I am no more Arminian than Calvinist (or perhaps I am both), but the post at the link below, and the book to which it refers, is worth reading if you are interested in how the doctrines of apostasy and perseverance of the saints relate: The Perseverance of the Saints and Apostasy

I do not believe anyone can “lose their salvation.” In my view, security is for believers and many of us understand the “security” part of that much better than the “believer” part. Many commentaries do violence to God’s Word in the way they twist passages to preserve Calvinist presuppositions. When we can get away from our simplistic either-or logic, we can see that both security and apostasy are taught by Scripture and do not contradict each other — like the divinity and humanity of Christ or the doctrine of the Trinity are scriptural and not contradictions.

An excellent series on the believer’s security

Glad to see Peter Lumpkins posting the series of articles by Steve Lemke on the doctrine of the believer’s security.

#1 – Why Your Faith Is Secure: Salvation is of God, Not of Us

Assurance of salvation

David Jeremiah, founder of Turning Point for God and senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon, Calif., has an excellent column on the assurance of salvation here.

He does a great job of laying out the scriptural basis for the promise, protection, and proof of eternal life. His words should go straight to the heart of any genuine believer: “God has given us His Word to assure us of our relationship with Him so that we may walk as Christians with confidence, knowing that our salvation is in Him. … Your heavenly home was bought for a price, and that payment results in a title deed that can never be lost through foreclosure. You can go joyfully into your day’s activities and rest peacefully tonight knowing that your salvation is secure and your home in heaven is being prepared for you!”

He also acknowledges the fact of disobedience and affirms that obedience characterizes the genuine believer: “Christians are not perfect, and all of us do sin along the way. But genuine Christians hear His voice and follow Him. As a Christian, when you know God has told you to do something, you do it. If we love Him, we’ll keep His commandments. A person who is genuinely saved is going to obediently hear what the Lord says.”

It’s such a shame that the Christians who should be least worried about security are often the ones who fret about it the most. Their tenderheartedness is the greatest evidence that they have nothing to fear. The Gospel truth is that security is for believers and believers are eternally secure.